Last



Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

n f wm,

M. W. WHITE.

LAST.

APPLICATloN FILED Auw. 191B.

lJNITED STATES vPfrENT oFFlcE.

MELBOURNE W. WHITE 0F CLIFTONDALE, SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF P OF NEW JERSEY.

LAST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 24, 1922.

application ma August 1, 191s. serial N0. 247,779.

To yall uf/1.0m 'it may conce-rn? I Be it known that I, MELBoUnNE lV. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cliftcaidale, in the county of Esse-X and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Lasts, of vvliich the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, .like reference Vcharacters on the drawings indi- -ating like parts in the several figures.

The present invention relates to lasts and more especially to lasts of the kind employed in forming and Ina-king shoes.

Aaccording to' lone method of attaching heels to shoes, .and particularly attaching Wooden heels to shoes, the last upon which 'the -shoe is being made is withdrawn from the shoe and the heel is attached by heel vattaching nails driven from the interior of the shoe outwardly linto the heel after which the last is again inserted for subsequent operations on the shoe. T his process of attaching heels, which isknown Vas inside nailing, is open to the serious objection that, in With drawing'the last from the shoe to enable the heel attaching operati-on' to be performed and again rel-asting the shoe, considerable time and labor .are involved and, also, the shoe is subjected to severe strain and distortion, so much so, in many instances, that it is found necessary to repair the shoe. Moreover, with certain types of shoes, as for example, vulcanized rubber soled shoes having wood heels, in its application to the manufacture of which shoes the present in,- vention is herein shown for purposes of illustration, the practice of the inside nailing process is especially'dillicult and impractical because the shoe parts are only temporarily secured together by cement vat the time the last is Withdrawn for the heel attaching loperation t0 be performed.

.in vobject of the present invention is to provide a shoe. forming and making last which will be so constructed and arranged as to obviate the necessity of removing the last, or possibly the heel portion thereof, from the shoe to permit a heel to be attached by inside nailing and also, vto effect the attachment of the heel to the shoe by one or more heel attaching fastenings.

To this end, the present invention provides a' novel shoe forming and making last comprisino4 a forepart and a heel part, and having a fastening guiding passage formed in vthe heel part and means associated with the said fastening guiding passage conlstructed :and arranged to be operated to drivev a heel attaching fastening from the fastening guiding passage into the shoe.

nFor this purpose the heel part of the last is constructed so as to provide a housing for the fastening driving means which, as herein illustrated, consists of a driver normally retained in inoperative relation to the fastening vguiding passage and arranged to receive an actuating force which Will cause it to project the heel attaching fastening from the fastening passage into the shoe. Thilo any suitable means may be employed to project the fastening driver in the fastening guidi-ng passage to insert the fastening, the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates the employment of a machine similar for example to that shown in Patent No.'1,081,91', granted Dec. 1G, 1913, -on application of Eliphalet A. Tripp, to effect the voperation of the driver. To this end, and as hereinvillustrated, the ycone portion of the heel .part of the last is so constructed and arranged as to provide access to the driver which is housed Within the heel part to enable the driver to beactuated. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a gang of driver guiding passages provided in the heel part and a. gang of drivers.y also housed Within the heel part, is received in the driver guiding passages, the purpose of the gang mechanism being, however, merely to enable a sufficient number1 of fasi tenings to lbe inserted .properly to attach the heel in a single operation. It Will be appreciated that the provision of a fastening guiding passage and the associated fastening driver in the heel part of the last enable the heel to be attached to the shoe Without disturbing the assembly of the shoe parts ou the last and also it eliminates the last removing and shoe 'relasting operations which were necessary with the lasts heretofore used.

Other objects and features of the invention Will be appa-rent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features of the invention will be defined in 'the claims.

Fig. 1 illustrates in perspective a preferred embodiment of the last 0f the present invention, the heel part of the last bemg cut away to show the heel attaching mechanism.-

FT aber] embodiment of the last is to the manufacture ot soled A,shoes having wooden heels and accordingly the last is made or' 'metal to resist the vulcanizing heat to which it is subjected during the manufacture oir the shoe. This metal last is preferably hollow and comprises a forepart portion 2 and an integral heel part L1 substantially the same as a wooden block last for a leather` shoe. It is desirable to attach wooden heels to vulcanized rubber soled shoes prior to the vulcanization of the shoe7 both'because or' the diiiiculties encountered in forming the proper heel seat on the shoe to receive the heel after the shoe is vulcanized and to secure the benefit of the vulcanzed attachment of the heel to the shoe where it is seated on the rubber portions of the shoe. Furthermore, when applying the heel to the shoe before' vulcanization, it is important that the heel be seated lirmly on the heel seat, otherwise the process of vulcanization tends so to upset and distort the heel seat as to displace the heel on the shoe. Heretofore only an insecure attachment ofthe heel to the shoe was possible without withdrawing the last from the shoe and this could not readily -be done without straining the shoe upper which was held together by `cemented seams.

In accordance with the present invention it is proposed to attach the heel to the shoe prior to its vulcanization with heel attaching nails inserted by mechanism-mounted j in the heel part of the last, thereby obviating the necessity of withdrawing thc last from the shoe. The illustrated manner of accomplishing this is to provide the heel seat wall 6 ot the heel part of the last with a plurality ot holes 8 arranged centrally-of the heel seat surface of the last in any suitc ablel design, as shown for example in F 1. y These holes 8 receive the ends oi a plurality of metal tubes 10 rigidly held therein and projecting substantially vertically 'of the outer heel seat surface oi' the wall 6 into the hollow interior of the heelpart 1, these tubes being provided with driver guiding passages of a diameter to accommodate the size of the nails which it is desired to insert. Also housed within the heel part 4 is the means Yfor projecting the nails received in the guiding passages 10 into the heel. This means consists of a gang of drivers 12 mounted ina driver carrying bar 16. The

driversV are preferably so mounted in the h eel" part in their normal inoperative position that'a portion of each-driver projects into its respective driver-guiding'passage in the tube 1() so as to provide a seat for the nails in the passage in the inverted position of the last. The drivel' carrying bar 16 is additionally guided for reciprocation in the heel part 4: by guide rods 18 the upper ends or' whichare rigidly secured in the heel seat wall 6 andproject through holes provided in the driver carrying bar. For'the purpose of retaining the driver carrying bar so that the drivers 12 occupy a normally retracted or inoperative position inthe guiding passages springs V2O surrounding the guiding rods 18 hold the driver bar against a shoulder 22 formed on the inner wall of the heel part 4. lllhile the driver carrying bar 16 could conveniently be so arranged as to projectthrough the cone portion-ot the last for the purpose of actuating the drivers 12 to drive the heel attaching nails, the proposed use or' the last in conjunction with a machine like that shown in the above identified Tripp patent involves the provision of a means ot' communication or access through the cone portion of the heel-part to the driver carrying bar 16.- Accordingly and as illustrated, the cone portion 01:' the heel part is provided with a rectangularly shaped hole 2li which extends substantially vertically through the heel part and in alinement with the drivers 12. this hole being somewhat smaller than the: rectangular driver carrying bar to enable the inner wall of the heel part to provide the shoulder 22 on which the driver carrying bar 16 is seated in its normall inoperative position. l j

ln the use of the last above described, the shoe upper 26 and the insole 2S are iirst assembled on the last in Vthe usual manner ot y making vulcanized rubber soled shoes the nail receiving passages in the tubes 10 being previously loaded with heel attaching nails 30. Heretofore in locating the insole upon the last considerable'trouble was occasioned by the insole becoming' displaced on the last when the upper was lasted over upon it. this being due to the fact that since the last is made oit metal there wasno opportunity for fastening the insole to the bottom ot' the last by tacks as with a wooden. last. lilith the last of the invention one, at least, oit the heel nails 3() which are placed in the nail passages is preferably of suiiicient length to proj ect a distance above the bottom of the last asgindicated in Fig. 2. This projecting end of the nailthus serves as a spur upon which to drive the heel'end of the insole and hold it on the bottom oi the last against displacementduring the operation of lasting tbe shoe. The heel 321s then properly positioned on the heel seatand the last placed in inverted position upon the Work support 34 provided by the machine, employed to voperate the driver mechanism carriedvby the last. The illustrated machine for this purpose is provided With'a reciprocatory driver operating bar 3G, projecting through the work support 34 and the hole 24 in the cone portion of the last. The rec-iprocatorj,7 driver operating bar is preferably rectangular in cross section and 4has a running it in the hole24 of the last so that yit also serves as a last pin to hold the last in position on the Work support.V To resist the driving force of the drivers 12in inserting the nails into the heel, and also to cla-mp the heel 32 firmly onto the slice the machineis ,provided with an adjustable block 3T whchengages the top lift of the heel and with an adjustable clamp 38 which -engagesthe side ofthe heel ait the grear. The driver actuatingbar 36 of .the machine is conveniently operated through connections With a power-operated shaft as shown in the patent above mentioned. The actuation of this driver bar projects the drivers l2 in the driver guiding pa-ssagesin the rtubes lO and drives the nails from the passages into the heel as indicated in -F ig. 3. Upon .the Withdrawal of the driver bar 36 into inoperative position, the drivers in `the heel part of .the last are returned to inoperative position by the springs 20, acti-ng upon the driver carrying bar 16.

It Will thus be noted that the heel may vbe attached to the shoe Awith accuracy and facility and Without necessitating the removal `of the last with its resulting disadvantages. Moreover, inasmuch as the heel can .be applied to the shoe before vulcanization by the use of the last of the invention, a neater and more uniform attachment of the heel is obtained because the yheel seat of the shoe is. before vulcanization, more or less conformable and, therefore, adaptable to the heel seat surface presented by the heel when the clamping pressure of the machine is applied. Incidentally the conformation of the seat to the heel insures a better adhesion and relation between thel heel and heel seat of the shoe and consequently a. stronger vulcanized connection is obtained.

lllhile the term heel attaching nails is herein used. it is to be understood that this term is used generically to cover otherkinds of heel attaching'fastening, as for example screvvs. lt is further to be understood that While the invention 'is herein illustrated as applied to a last of the type used in the manufacture of vulcanized rubber soled shoes and adapted for insertion of a gang of fastenings. the invention is equally Well adapted for embodiment in a last of the kind used in the process of making leather shoes and to insert only a single heel attaching fastening if desired. It is still further tobe understood that the last of the present invention is in no way restricted in its speciiic construction to use in conjunction With the machine illustrated.

Having fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A shoe forming last comprising a forepart and a heel part and having a fastening receiving passage formed in the heel part, and means associated with the said fastening passage andcontained Within the body of the last, constructed and arranged to be acted upon by a last. pin to drive a fastening from the fastening receiving passage into a shoe without removal of the shoe from the last.

2. A shoe forming last comprising a forepart and a heel part and having a plurality of fastening receiving passages extending transversely of the heel part from its bottom surface, a plurality of drivers disposed in the fastening receiving passages, and driver connecting means located Within the body of the last and constructed and arranged to be operated to drive heel attaching fastenings from the fastening receiving passages into a shoe Without removal of the shoe from the last, said last having an opening in the last cone to permit access to .the driver connecting means for operating the drivers as set forth.

3. shoe forming last comprising a forepart and a heel part conforming to the sha-pe of the shoe to be lasted thereon, said last having a gang of driver guiding passages extending transversely of the heel part from its bottom surface, and la. gang of drivers constructed and arranged in the body of the heel part for operation in the driver guiding passages, said last having an opening permitting access to said drivers so that theycan be operated to drive heel attaching fastenings into the heel of a shoe on the last Without removal of the shoe from the last. i

4. A shoe forming last comprising a forepart and a heel part and having a gang of driver guiding passages extending vertically of the heel part from its bottom surface, a gang of drivers positioned in the driver guiding passages, means located in the body of the last for normally holding the drivers in retracted position, and driver connecting means located in the body of the last and constructed and arranged for operative movement t0 drive a gang of heel attaching nails into the heel of a shoe.

5. A shoe forming last comprising a forepartand a heel part, said parts corresponding fully to the shape of the shoe to be lasted thereon, the heel part being provided With a gang of driver guiding passages extending perpendicularly to its bottom surface, a gang of drivers housed Within the heel part between the heel-seat and the cone of the last and in alinenient witlisaid passages, said cone having an opening corresponding in location to the usual. last pin hole-and means positively lconnecting the drivers of the gang whereby their simultaneous operation may be eti'ected by the insertion of an instrument through'the hole in the last cone.

6. A shoe 'forming last comprising a 'tores part, aheel part provided with a gang oi' ,driver guiding passages extending vertically of the heel part from its bottom surftace, a gang of drivers and driver connectiiig means housed within the heel part in alinement with said passages, and means acting von the connecting means to holdthe gang oic drivers in retracted position in the heel part.

7. A shoe forming last comprising a torepart, a heel part provided with a gang of driver guiding passages extending vertically of the heel part from its bottom surface, and a gang of drivers housed WithinV "for operative movement in the driver guiding passages, and springs for holding the drivers in retracted positions in the driver l guiding passages, said gang ot drivers being accessible through the cone portion of the heel part to effecttheir operation "in opposition to the said springs.

9. A shoe 'forming last comprising a Jforepart and a hollow heel part,y a plurality of driver guiding tubes verticallymounted in the bottom Wall of the heel partwvith-their ends flush with the outer surface of the said Wall, a driver carrying barguided tor reciprocation Within the heel part, a plurality oi drivers mounted on the Vdriver bar and reeived Within thedriver guiding tubes7 and springs arranged "between vthe bottom ivall and the bar for maintaining the drivers normally in i retracted positionl in the driver guiding' tubes, said heel part being prof vided With an' openingVv affording access to the bar to eect operation of the drivers.

10. A shoe forming and making last coinprising a orepart, a heel part having a lastening guidingpassage terminating in the bottom surface of thelast, and' means associated with the said fastening guiding passage at its opposite end to retaina tasteniiig in the fastening guiding passage during the use ot the last in the manufacture ot a shoe. 'Y Y c 'Y ll. A shoe `forming last comprising a iiorepartl and a heel part VandY having'va tastening receiving passa'get'ormed in the heel part, adriver Yin saidpassage, and "means in 'the heel part for maintaining the end of the driver at a predetermined distance from the last bottom sothat the head of a tastening in said passage may rest against the driver with its/point projecting beyond the last bottoni to receive and retain in position the shoe sole during the lasting operation,

the lastv being provided with an openingin its cone to afford access to the driver and enable the driver tobe operated to drive the fastening through the sole into a heell While the shoe is still' in undisturbed lasted condition upon the last.

In testimony whereofl have signed my n aine to `this yspecication.

MELBOURNE iv. iviiirn 

